ED BRUBAKER WANTS YOU DEAD! A John Ostrander Auction Update

It’d be a pretty poor list of Top Comics Writers that didn’t include what I consider the best writer of crime comics of this age, Eisner-winner Ed Brubaker. And now, thanks to Ed’s generosity, three readers will have a chance to appear in an upcoming issue of Ed’s brilliant masterwork, CRIMINAL.

As a CORPSE, no less!

It’s no secret how highly I regard Ed Brubaker both as a person and as a writer. Unfortunately, because we work for different companies and are both very busy, we rarely get to share more than a few words in passing at a convention floor, going to the green room for water, or to the bathroom to get rid of some.

This year at San Diego Comic-Con, I ran into Ed and his lovely companion while I on the way to a panel my son and husband love (the World’s Worst Animation, for the record). Ed kindly invited us to VIP seating at HIS panel, which was showing his new film, ANGEL OF DEATH. I couldn’t miss the panel I’d promised my family, but Ed said, “Hey, I need to talk to you about the Ostrander auction. I have an IDEA.”

Ed’s a sneaky guy. I think that’s why I like him.

Here’s the thing. Ed Brubaker has come up with a unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance for three of his fans to have mobster corpses named after them in an upcoming issue of Criminal, and the proceeds benefit Comics4Sight and John Ostrander, who, as many of you already know, is suffering from severe glaucoma.

Each winning bidder will have a dead mobster named after them (or after a name of their choosing) in an upcoming issue of CRIMINAL. But to add to the fun, they ALSO will be given a ‘mobster nickname’ chosen by Ed himself.

ADDITIONALLY, when the issue comes out, Ed will personally send each winning bidder a signed and personalized copy! It’s a chance to be part of CRIMINAL history!

Ed had this to say about John, “"I just wanted to do something to help, because John Ostrander's work had such a huge impact on me when I was a teenager. Grimjack was one of the first books I read that made me realize comics didn't have to be superheroes."

These three packages are going to be highly coveted, so go take a look right now! Right now, I say! Everyone dies, but not everyone dies a creepy mobster in one of the best comics out there.

While you’re there, please take a moment and look at some of the other incredible items that have just gone up for online auction. A fuller description of some of the items is at the bottom of this very article.

Thank you again, Ed! And watch for a few OTHER great creators who might have a similar trick up their sleeve in the weeks to come!

MORE OSTRANDER NEWS

Many of you may have already read of this unfortunate situation. Industry legend John Ostrander, despite having insurance, is suffering from severe glaucoma that has endangered his vision. His insurance did not fully cover his previous surgeries, let alone related expenses, and he’s going back for another surgery in Boston, on 9/11 of this year.

Because of the INCREDIBLY generosity of pros, retailers, private collectors and readers, our previous efforts to help John have raised over 31 thousand dollars, with more donations still coming in. A successful live auction was held in Chicago, but many asked if people who could not make it to Chicago could still participate, and now we have begun our Ostrander Online Auctions so that you can!

All information is at the new Comix4sight.com website. Donations of cash and art are still being accepted gratefully, and remember, all monies raised go directly to Heroes Initiative, to help other great creators in difficult medical circumstances. Do a great thing for yourself, for John, and for the industry and go check out the site to see what you can do. Every little bit helps!

THE ONLINE AUCTIONS

As huge and successful as the Chicago Comic Con live auction was, it only scratched the surface of the art we have collected. Amazing pieces by Scott Morse, James Owen, Joe Quesada and many more will be auctioned off online, so that everyone has a chance to bid. Even if you miss out on the Brubaker CRIMINAL auction, you can still take home one of these amazing one-of-a-kind showpiece items.

We’re staggering the pieces so everyone gets a chance to see each one, and the pieces that just went up contain some real gems I’d like to discuss a little bit here.

Again, take a look for your chance to bid on these items, many of which were created for this auction specifically. Some of these items are up for only a very short time, so please go take a look now!

First, we have a Green Arrow painting by the talented Lin Workman. I had the good fortune to see this delightful caricature at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis this year, and it’s simply gorgeous, a must for any GA fan.

We have an incredible Fantastic Four Adventures page by David Hahn, featuring the THING meeting Devil Dinosaur! TELL me you don’t want to see the meeting on that page!

We have a BRUCE TIMM character study page of Daredevil, which is just as awesome as it sounds.

Two of my favorite new artists come from the ‘cute girls’ school of art, drawing absolutely adorable superheroes and other characters. Laurie B. , artist of A MONK’S TALE, has drawn a fantastic colored pencil sketch of Rachel Summers, and the great Agnes Garbowska, of the acclaimed YOU, ME And ZOMBIE graphic novel, has drawn a spectacular, full-color JLA lemonade stand. Trust me, photos do not do these pieces justice!

We have a gripping SKELETOR print signed by artist Tone Rodriguez, and a hilarious BLACK LANTERN CHEEKS by Love and Capes creator Thom Zahler.

There’s a hilarious TRIGON and RAVEN surfing, drawn as only the great Tiny Titans artist, Franco, can draw it. Any Tiny Titans fan needs this sketch!

And we have a couple serious showpiece items here…

First, we have a fantastic MICKEY MOUSE Sunday page from 1991, drawn by Jim Engel. A rare chance at a Disney strip drawn by one of the current greats. Someone’s going to get to frame this incredible piece and hang it on their wall!

And two of my favorite pieces in the auction:

First, a genuinely breath-taking full page splash from the critical smash, SUPERGIRL: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade. This page was donated by artist Eric Jones at SDCC for this auction, and is signed by both artist Eric Jones and writer Landry Walker. If you don’t feel your heart skip a beat with joy at this image, you have my sympathy.

And finally, one of my favorite pieces in the entire history of Comix4sight. Erik Ko and my friends at Udon Studios are always ready to help any time a comics legend is in a bad situation. They are amazing people and incredible artists, drawing much of the amazing work you see in Capcom games, books and comics. When you see amazing Street Fighter or DarkStalkers graphics, odds are Udon is involved.

When they heard that the auction was for John, all eight Udon artists dropped what they were doing and each did an astounding sketch, everything from penciled art to full color, each depicting a mega-popular character from the world of movies, toys and video games. People wait HOURS to get a single Udon sketch and pay lots of money for commissions, and still often walk away empty handed because their sketch time is totally filled early on each convention. Here you have eight classic, gorgeous sketches…it’s a mini-gallery all in one item!

And that’s just the stuff that just went up! These items are not going to be offered for long. It’s a great cause, and you could end up with a piece of art you will treasure forever. Please check the eBay auctions regularly, under searchword COMIX4SIGHT.

Thank you again, everyone. With your help, we are going to be helping not just John Ostrander, but a LOT of industry legends!